The Perils of Pokemon Hard Mode 2: Hearts of Gold
by 16Doobop13
Summary: It's been six months since Hank Coro's first fateful nuzlocke. Now, when it spreads to Johto, Hank sets out to stop it. To succeed, he will not only have to stop team rocket, quell angry spirits, defeat legendary monsters, and become the Indigo Champion, but he will also have to catch new pokemon, and summon up a heart of gold. Based on the HeartGold Storyline (loosely)
1. Prologue

**Well, now that you've all had a chance to read the first book, I just want to point out, that, as it was my first Nuzlocke ever, it wasn't that bad. (Especially since I had no idea what I was doing that first time.) Anyway, this next book is (hopefully) going to outperform the first one, because it has one of my all time favorite Nuzlocke moments in it. Second only to a Nuzlocke moment in the third book of the Perils Trilogy(Well, for now it's a trilogy. If I get enough requests, I'll make a fourth one.) Anyway, sit back and enjoy the story, (well, this is just the prologue, but it's still enjoyable.) Also a fair warning, this is a completely made up explanation for Silver's actions throughout the game. (But yea, enjoy the prologue.)**

Prologue

"You went all the way to Kanto?" Ariana yelled at Silver in disbelief. "To see that Hank Coro kid? How could you? If you hadn't killed his pokemon, he could've-"

"What? Are done with the tongue lashing?" Silver asked sarcastically.

"It's just that, since Coro's pokemon are dead…I now see our glorious return to power!"

"But, we really shouldn't-"

"HUSH!" Ariana yelled. "Hush, little grunt." She said trying to sound caring. "You must be exhausted." She motioned for a sleeping chamber. "Sleep my little Silver, let your dreams take wing. One day when you're big and strong, you will be a king!"

"G'night." Silver said as he got in his bed to sleep.

"Good night, little grunt." Ariana replied, as she got ready to enter a room of rocket executives. "Tomorrow your training _intensifies._" She burst into the room where, Petrel, a man named Proton, and Archer were waiting.

"Something on your mind? Giovanni maybe?" Proton guessed.

"No. That can't be it." Archer said, studying. "What _are _you thinking of?"

"I've been exiled, persecuted, left alone with no defense!" Ariana sang. "When I think of what that _brat_ did, I get a little tense… But I dream a dream so pretty, that I don't feel so depressed! 'Cause it soothes my inner kitty, and it helps me get some rest."

"Um.." Proton was confused.

"The sound of Coro's dying gasp!" Ariana sang as Petrel mimicked Hank gasping for air.

"His family squealing in my grasp! His little girlfriends mournful cry! That's my Lullaby!"

"Freaking creepy." Proton whispered to Archer, who nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't like that kid either."

"Now the past I've tried forgetting." Sang Ariana. "And my foes, I could forgive. Trouble is I know it's petty, but I hate to let them live!"

"So you've found yourself somebody who'll chase Coro up a tree?" Petrel asked excited.

"Oh the battle may be bloody, but that kind of works for me. A melody of angry growls! A counterpoint of painful howls! A symphony of death, oh my! That's my Lullaby!" Ariana sang as she led the other Executives into Silver's room. "Giovanni's gone, but Ariana's still around… to help this little lad." She motioned to Silver. "Until he learns to be a killer! With a lust for being bad!"

"Sleep you little termite!" Proton said. "Oh.. Uh I mean precious little thing." He sang when he caught Ariana's glare.

Archer came up to him. "One day when you're big and strong…"

"You will be a king!" Ariana finished up as she punched away some of the earth above them and let in a ray of light, shining on Silver in his bed. "The pounding of the drums of war, the thrill of Silver's mighty roar!"

"The joy of vengeance!' Petrel shouted.

"Testify!" Archer urged her.

"I can hear the cheering!" Ariana sang.

"Silver, what a guy…" Proton said half heartily.

"Payback time is nearing…" Ariana sang with a smile as she climbed out of the ground into the dawn sky. "And then our flag will fly! Against a blood red sky!"

All the other Rocket Executives chimed in now. "That's our Lulla..Byyyyy!" They finished up as they all maniacally laughed, but none more so, than Ariana.

*Cerulean Cave*

"Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres are all dead." Mewtwo said in a bitter tone. "And thanks to Moltres switching sides at the end, that Coro kid knows you exist. Moltres was a traitor, and Articuno and Zapdos are failures. It now falls on you to make sure the chosen does not do me any harm. Can you manage that….?"

"Have no fear. Hank Coro will never confront you."

*New Bark Town*

"Hank! I'm so happy for you!" Lyra exclaimed. "You got a job at Professor Elm's lab! That's a great step forward for you!"

"Thanks Lyra." I said. "It's nice to not be trapped in Nuzlocke rules anymore. I never thought New Bark would do me so much good."

"Well, I'm just happy, you're finally going to get a pokemon again. Hey, maybe Marill will get a friend!"

"Maybe!" I said. We shared a quick kiss before I went off to my first day of work as an intern at Elm's lab.


	2. A Flint to Start the Fire

16Doobop13 Presents

Perils of Pokemon Hard Mode 2

Hearts of Gold

Chapter 1: A Flint to Start the Fire

My name, is Hank Coro, and it's been a good half a year since I last set foot near a pokemon that wasn't my girlfriend Lyra's Marill. The reason being of how I completely failed at a Nuzlocke attempt of the Kanto region half a year ago. I was really going strong, and then it all fell apart. Here I am in Johto though, and there is no Nuzlocke rule here, so now I can start my first day as an intern at Elm's pokemon lab with a smile on my face.

"Hank! It's good to see you again!" Said my Dad, who was just stopping by to congratulate me on my new job.

"Good to see you too Dad!" I beamed. "How's everything back home?"

"Well, Harold is super pumped up about how he'll be turning 10 soon. He says that when he does, he'll come over to this lab and go on a journey through Johto!"

"That's good for him." I said, feeling happy for the first time in a while.

"There he is!" Professor Elm said in a joking manner as he came down the steps that led to his upstairs study. "You ready for your first day Hank?"

"Am I ever!" I said excitedly, mainly because this job paid really well.

"Alright, you have fun son." Dad said as he gave me hug and then surfed away on his Swampert.

"So… Down to business." Professor Elm said. "I have three pokemon in these poke balls here." Professor Elm pointed to three different poke balls. I couldn't tell what pokemon was in which poke ball. "Your task is two-fold. The first one is receiving a discovery Mr. Pokemon made. And the second one is noting what your pokemon does, because, recent research has made scientists all over the world believe that pokemon kept outside of their poke balls develop differently than those kept inside."

"Who's Mr. Pokemon?" I asked.

"He lives up on Route 30. You can't miss his house. Now, choose a pokemon to be your partner. Oh but first, I can't stress this enough… Our lab doesn't have the budget to cover an unauthorized use of the pokemon center by a foreigner so you'll have to make do with these until you somehow obtain a Johto Pokedex okay?"

"Yeah, sure." I said as I picked up the poke ball in the middle.

"Oh, so you chose Cyndaquil?"

"I guess." I said as I sent out the Cyndaquil inside the poke ball.

"He'll probably take a great liking to you." Professor elm said. "He's the only one left of his kind in the region." He whispered.

"Hey, it'll be okay, buddy." I said to the little guy as I picked him up and held him in the same fashion Lyra held Marill.

"B-Buddy?" The Cyndaquil asked. "That's not my name is it?"

"Of course not!" I said. "How about…. Um…" I looked around the room until I saw Professor Elm's fireplace. "How about Flint?"

"Okay!" He said and we walked out toward Route 29, but before we could go, I was stopped by seeing a familiar face standing outside the lab.

"Silver?" I mumbled under my breath. The boy turned his head, and then yelled at me.

"What are you looking at? Get lost!"

Flint ran off, and I took off after him. If he fainted out there, Elm would have my ass.

….

I was able to reach Mr. Pokemon's house easily thanks to the Running Shoes I'd kept from my Kanto Journey, and I still had some money left over too, and I used it to buy stuff like Potions and Antidotes. I was disappointed about how there were no Poke balls, but oh well. As we entered Mr. Pokemon's house, we were greeted with hearty cheers.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Mr. Pokemon said joyously. "I found…this…egg!" He said as he handed me a pokemon egg.

"_This_ is your 'big discovery'? This is just a pokemon egg!"

"It's not like any egg I've ever seen." Mr. Pokemon shrugged. "But oh my goodness, that Cyndaquil really likes you!"

"Hank and I have barely talked!" Flint argued. "Hank _is _your name right?" I nodded.

"That's cute. It's saying how much it loves you!"

"N-no he isn't…" I said, questioning Mr. Pokemon's sanity.

"Look, kid, it's just that this guy wanted me to tell you that." Mr. Pokemon pointed to the man sitting at the desk in the corner, and suddenly everything was explained. The man was Professor Oak.

Professor Oak was the first pokemon Professor I'd ever gotten a pokemon from, and was also the grandfather of a rival I had back in Kanto, plus, he molested pokemon. "Flint, get back in your ball." I said seriously. "This man is a monster."

"I'm not taking orders from you!" Flint said. "You technically don't own me yet. Elm still does."

"Hank! Great news! I updated your pokedex! You have a Johto I.D. now!"

"That's…great?" I didn't know what was going on, so I turned to Flint and said "Let's get back to Elm."

The second we stepped outside, my phone rang. It was Elm.

"Hank! Quick! Quick! You have to get back to the lab ASAP and for the love of Arceus, make sure Flint doesn't faint."

"S-Sure!" I said. "We have to go Flint. Come on!"

"Right behind you." He replied.

…

We were about to get back onto Route 29 when we were stopped by the kid that was near Elm's lab earlier that day. "Hello again, Hank Coro. If I might be the first, you're birthday is tomorrow. So, I'll wish it to you now."

"You…you _are_ that kid from the Indigo League."

"Oh, I'm much more than that." He said. "I was the last Rocket Grunt initiated before you made Giovanni disband us. When he did, he made me the heir to the throne of Team Rocket, after we get back on our feet."

"Look, I don't have time for this so-"

"Totodile, Scratch!"

"Agghh! Flint Smokescreen."

The smoke cleared and Silver stared in awe at how Flint was able to best his Totodile so easily. "Now, I need to get back to Elm's lab. Step aside 'Rocket Grunt'."

Silver shoved me past him and took off toward Route 30.

….

As we arrived at Elm's Lab, Lyra tackle hugged me into the wall. "Thank goodness you're okay!" She said.

"What's going on?" I asked Professor Elm urgently. Next to him was a police officer.

"We have two problems Hank…" Professor Elm said. "The first one is that my Totodile was stolen!"

"Hey! I battled a kid with a Totodile! His name was Silver and he had long red hair."

"Thanks." The cop said as he left.

"You _battled_ the Totodile?" Elm asked urgently. "Is Flint okay?"

"Yeah, he's right here." I said holding up Flint.

"Sup." Flint said to Elm.

"Hey Flint… Do you trust Hank?" Elm asked. Flint gave him a so-so sign.

"It will have to do. Hank, I'm giving ownership of Flint to you okay?"

"I never agreed to that!" Flint argued.

"Neither did I!" I said agreeing with him for once. "By the way, Mr. Pokemon wanted me to give you this egg."

"We have bigger problems Hank."

"What? What could possibly constitute a full grown man in a fit of fear? It can't be that bad."

"Actually Hank…" Lyra said. "It is."

"You can at least tell me what's going on. I'll fix it no matter what it is."

"No. You can't. I'm not putting you through that again."

"What Lyra? Not putting me through what?"

"Hank… The Johto Region has been taken over by Kanto Officials so…"

"Oh….no…"

"Yes. The entire Johto region has been trapped in Nuzlocke."


	3. Violet Skies

Violet Skies

"So, what's a Nuzlocke?" Flint the Cyndaquil asked me as we walked down route 29 looking for a pokemon to catch.

"Well, in a nutshell, if you are defeated in battle, you die."

"Well, then why did Elm give me to YOU?!" He was scared of death apparently. "You're just an inexperienced kid!"

"You're just a kid!"

"I'm the future king of my tribe!"

"What tribe?"

"Back in Mt. Silver, like all Cyndaquil tribes… Can we just go home?"

"CUCOOO!"

"Hank what was that?"

"It sounded like a Pidgey. Follow me, and watch how we get new teammates."

*Talon the Pidgey was caught*

"Oh thank goodness I've found you!" Talon said as I sent him out. "My mother said that Hank Coro needed her help, but she is far to undernourished to help you out on your journey again."

"Ummm…. What exactly is going on?" Flint asked.

"Oh… my apologies." Talon said bowing. "I'm Talon. I'm a bit of a celebrity back in my hometown of Cerulean. You see, my mother is the leader of my flock, and my father was one of Hank Coro's pokemon."

Suddenly I realized that Talon was the child of Dove, my old Pidgey, and Braveheart, my old Fearow, who was my very best pokemon until he died, and I was forced to flee to Johto.

"I'm Flint." Flint said. "I'm a king."

"No, you aren't. You're a prince."

"Well, he's a future king." Talon corrected me. Yep, this was definitely Braveheart's son.

"Yeah!" Flint said, teaming up with Talon against me. "So you're going to have to do what we tell you, punk!" He boasted giving me a little punch in my leg, (he's small.)

"No, I really don't." I said as we walked into Cherrygrove City. "Besides, with an attitude like that, your shaping up to be rather pathetic king indeed."

"Not the way I see it!" Flint said to Talon before he jumped in front of me, startling me a bit, since the flame on his back was burning.

"Flint…" I was nervous, and I heard music. **(Oh my gosh, here it comes….!)**

"I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!" Flint sang. Talon clapped along. He wasn't helping.

"Well I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little scare." I half sang, kind of wanting to move on through the city, but Flint seemed eager on finishing the song.

"I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before! I'm brushing up on looking down, I'm working on my ROAR!" He yelled as he tried to roar at me but it just made me laugh a bit.

"So far a rather uninspiring thing…" Talon joked.

"I just can't wait to be king!" Flint sang as he used Talon to fly around from rooftop to rooftop.

"Flint…" I called after him. "I think it's time that you and I arranged a heart to heart!"

"King's don't need to talk to petty humans for a start…"

I turned around and scratched my head, then pinched my nose like Stan from South Park. "If this is where my journey's headed, I'm so done." I said.

"Hey!" Talon came to cheer me up. "Why don't you just lighten up and have some fun?"

"That child is getting wildly out of wing!" I said to Talon as I pointed at Flint, dancing on top of a building.

"Oh I just can't wait to be king!" Flint said. "Hey, Hank Coro, look left!" I look left and Talon hit me from behind. "Hey, Hank Coro, look right!" I looked to the right and Talon hit me from behind again. Flint then used smokescreen and I couldn't see anything.

"Everywhere you look I'm…" The smokescreen cleared and I saw him striking a pose. "Standing in the spotlight!"

"Not yet!" I said as I picked him up and started carrying him up Route 30. Talon was flying by me though, and still singing.

"Let every creature go for broke and sing! Let's here it in the herd and on the wing! It's going to be King Flint's finest thing!"

"Oh I just can't wait to be king!" Flint sang as he danced around in my arm. "Oh I just can't wait to be king!" Talon decided to join in now.

"Oh he just can't wait…." Talon sang.

"Oh I just can't wait…." Flint sand.

"To be king!" They both sang as the stretched out the king at the end, and the music I heard ended abruptly when they stopped singing.

"Hey!" A young kid yelled at us from across the street. "No one get's past Route 30 without beating me in a battle!"

"Who are _you?_" I asked, wondering who this youngster was. I questioned whether he was old enough to be out on the streets this early in the morning, let alone battling pokemon in a Nuzlocke…

"I go by many names." The kid said ominously. "But around here I'm known as Joey! The best trainer in Cherrygrove!"

….One short battle later….

"Well, Joey. I have to hand it to you. I haven't faced a Rattata like that in a long time, but you still have a long way to go before you try to set out on a pokemon journey."

"Hank, can we just take the money and go?" Flint asked, groaning. Talon nodded in agreement.

"Shh!"

"Hey, I was wondering if I could have your number." Joey said. "I want a rematch, and I'll call you when I'm ready okay?"

"Sure." I was really disinterested in this how slowly I was moving. Hopefully, something cool would happen soon…

….Route 31.…

"Alright! Great job guys!" I said as Flint and Talon showcased the new moves they'd picked up. "Ember and Gust! Both excellent attacks!"

"Hey Talon." Flint said.

"Yeah buddy?" Talon asked.

"Hank has had pokemon before? You said that he-"

"No it was just a bunch of nonsense!" I said quickly, realizing what was going on. Flint barely respected me as it is and if he found out that I actually _lost_ an Elite 4 challenge, he'd clearly stop listening to me altogether. "Talon, can I talk to you?" I took him aside.

"What's up?"

"You can't tell _anyone_ that I've trained pokemon before. If anyone, _you_ should know how badly that ended for me."

"But if pokemon know that you're more experienced-"

"No one Talon!" I raised my voice. Talon took his right wing and pretended to zip his beak shut.

"Hey guys look at that!" Flint said pointing. "It's Violet City!"

Talon and I looked and saw a small village at the base of the hill we were on. At the northern end of the village was a big tower, and in the center I saw a Gym. "Well boys, here we are at Violet City!" I said.

"Woah!" Talon flew up into the sky to get a better view.

"It's just stunning!" Flint said, taking an interest in the architecture.

"Let's go!" They said in unison.

"Alright boys." I said. "Welcome, to the world of Nuzlocke!"

**(Now, that chapter took me a long time to finish…by the way, this book will have an appendix at the end for anyone reading who wants to know exactly what I felt about each pokemon. Anyways Enter: Talon, a male pidgey who seems to get along with Flint really well. Hopefully nothing happens to mess that friendship up. Talon, and Flint will both be reviewed in the Appendix of the book, as well as some major players in this Nuzlocke Team. Also, any questions about the first book? Feel free to pm me! Any questions about this one? PM me! I'll answer you to the best of my ability. Also, a fair warning: Book 3 is going to be a little more…creative than these two books. (But how can it be more creative than a Lion King 2/ Hercules/ Alladin/ Pochahontas/ Pokemon Story?) Don't worry. You can PM me if you really want to know. Anyways, what awaits Hank, Flint and Talon in the land of Violet City? Find out next chapter!**


	4. Flint VS Falkner

Flint VS Falkner

*Sprout Tower*

"We're almost at the top Flint! Come on!" I said as the two of us ran up the tower.

"C'mon guys quickly!" Talon cheered from a ledge at the top floor.

"Oh, my Arceus this is killing me."

"Ho-oh have mercy." Talon muttered as he flew down to pick Flint up and fly him to the top.

"Hey, wait for me!" I said as I started to run faster. "And who's Ho-oh?" I wondered aloud. I was only familiar with Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Kanto mythical pokemon, so Johto mythology was a new subject to me.

*Sprout Tower top Floor*

"Is that?" Flint asked.

"Silver." I confirmed as I saw him when I reached the top.

"Who?" Talon asked. "Is he friendly? Hey! Silver!"

"SHhhh!" Flint and I both shushed him. "Hide and listen." I said.

"Silver…" An elderly man said. "It is clear to me that you posses great strength and are worthy of one of my TMs of Flash, but you do not treat your pokemon with love and care. You will never become a great trainer until you change that."

"Hmph." Sliver replied. "Love, care, compassion. All those emotions make you weak! You become blinded by your care for others and are thus unable to continue fighting for yourselves. I have no more business with a weak, elderly man such as yourself. I'm leaving." He said as he used an escape rope to exit the tower.

"Oh my. That's going to cost a fortune…" The man said staring at the hole in the ceiling that Silver had created as I approached him. "May I help you?" He asked me.

"I'm here to train with my pokemon." I said motioning to Flint and Talon who were goofing off in the corner of the tower.

"Well then…" The man said with a whistle during the 'th' in then. "Why don't you call one up to use against my Bellsprout?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Me!" Talon said enthusiastically. "Choose me!"

"Hey! No fair, I want to go!" Flint whined. Although both of them had gotten really good at battling, I still worried when they got all cocky like that.

"Flint, if it makes you feel any better, I'll use you in the Gym Battle…" I offered him as a compromise. He reluctantly accepted.

"Fine. Talon can do it."

"Alright Talon, use Gust!"

…

"That was pathetic." Talon complained as we walked out of Sprout Tower. "The Bellsprout just fainted right away!"

"Well, what did you expect against a grass type, Talon?" Flint asked.

"I expected a fun battle." He mumbled under his breath.

"Talon, lighten up!" Flint urged him.

"I'm just a bit annoyed that you get the gym battle and I don't…" Talon pouted.

Ring! Ring! I picked up my phone. "Hello?" I asked.

"Well, you could still take out any gym trainers inside the gym." Flint urged Talon.

"Hey, Hank. It's Joey." Joey said on the other line.

"But it won't matter because _you_ get the leader." Talon complained.

"Hey, Joey," I said. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, you can have the _next _leader okay?" Flint tried to negotiate

"Well, do you remember my Rattata?" Joey asked slyly

"But that's _ages _away" Talon protested.

"Yes, I remember it… What about it?"

Talon and Flint started argue so loud that I couldn't hear what Joey was saying. I put my hand over the phone. "You two need to SHUT UP!" I yelled at them from the top of my lungs. In fact, the clerk for the PokeMart ran outside to make sure everything was alright. "Something might be wrong with Joey's Rattata and I want to find out! Or is your arguing more important?"

"Sorry." Talon said looking down.

"It won't happen again." Flint agreed, seeming equally sorry.

"I'm sorry Joey, could you repeat that last part?" I asked.

"Well, my Rattata isn't like other Rattata. It's, like, in the _top percentage_ of Rattata!" And then he hung up.

"Arceus Christ…" I said putting my phone away. "Talon, remind me to never pick up the phone from Joey ever again."

"All right." Talon said. "What was wrong with his Rattata?"

"Flint, let's get you to the Gym. Talon Return!" I said returning Talon, wanting to change the subject.

*Violet City Pokemon Gym*

As we walked into the Gym, I noticed that there was a small platform in the center of the area, and nothing else. "I don't get it. Is anyone here?" Flint asked me.

"I don't know." I said. "But something feels a bit off." I leaned against one of the entrance statues. Suddenly, it just fell to the ground and I landed on top of it.

"Owww." Said a man's voice under the statue. "That's the last time I disguise myself as that!" The man removed his statue cover to reveal himself to be Looker. "Long time no see Hank!"

"Looker!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a message from Professor Elm!" He replied. "He says that since it's your birthday today, he wants to give you something when you are done in this Gym. I also came because I need to ask for your assistance again. There are some rumors going around about Team Rocket starting trouble in Johto, but you know as well as I do that Giovanni disbanded Team Rocket when you beat him at his Gym back in Viridian."

I gave Looker a "Don't keep talking about that." Gesture and motioned to Flint. "Oh. I get it. You don't want him to know. That's fine. I understand."

"Don't want me to know what?" Flint asked.

"Just, Just return." I said holding out my poke ball. He returned and I turned back to Looker. "And?"

"Well, I thought you could help me. Have you encountered anyone claiming to be part of Team Rocket?"

I had, in fact, encountered someone who was boasting to be part of Team Rocket but that person was Silver and I didn't completely trust anything he said so I lied.

"No, Looker. I haven't. I think you're just overreacting. Besides, I got a message from Cynthia two days ago saying she couldn't talk to me on my birthday because of reports of Vandalism all over Sinnoh. Shouldn't you be there right now?"

"Hank. I know you're lying." Looker saw through my disguise. "You aren't the only part of my squad stationed in Johto you know. My prized Trainer Joey informed me you would be here, and Hank, mark my words: There is something Evil in Johto." With that, Looker disappeared.

*Leader's Room*

Flint and I finally figured out that we had to use the platform as an elevator to get up to Falkner, the Violet Gym Leader, and our battle was noteworthy as the shortest gym battle I'd ever participated in ever. (Even shorter than Blaine).

"Hank… I don't feel so good…" Flint said as he hobbled back to me from a defeated Pidgeotto. "It's making me all dizzy."

"It sounds like your Cyndaquil is ready." Falkner told me. I nodded. Flint was level 16 now. I had kept him from evolving at 14 because I'd rather keep the 16, and 36 approach when it comes to starter pokemon. I took the Cancel Evolution button out of my pokedex.

"What's going on?" Flint asked hysterically as he was enveloped in a white light. "Hank, am I dying? I don't want to die!"

I started to laugh at how naïve this was for him. "This isn't funny!" He yelled. "Talon! Get out here and help me!"

Talon released himself but when he saw Flint evolving he just smiled. "I don't think you need any help." He said.

"Guys, I'm scared!" Flint said nervously as the white light enveloped him completely. He started to change shape until finally, Flint the Cyndaquil had turned into Flint the Quilava.

"I feel…. Bigger." He said as he came back to his senses.

"You are bigger." I said as I showed him his reflection in his poke ball. "You're stronger too."

"Cool…" He said as he admired his reflection. "I think I'll take a nap though. Oh, and happy 16th birthday Hank."

"Thanks, Flint." I said as he returned himself.

"Come on Talon." I said.

"There's someone at the PokeMart waiting with a present for us."

*PokeMart*

"Professor Elm, what are you doing here?" I asked him astonished. "It's dangerous out here. The least you could've done was send your assistant or something!

"It's fine. Hank." Professor Elm said. "I came by to give you this egg back. I think there's something inside it, and I believe it will hatch if it's near other pokemon so can I ask you to carry it around for me?"

"Do you know what pokemon is inside it?" I asked.

"I haven't the slightest clue." Elm replied. I took the egg, Thanked him, and walked outside to find myself face to face with one of the Kimono Girls that my sister Pearl always dragged me to see nearly every summer.

"So you are the child that Professor Elm gave the egg to.' She studied me and Talon intently and it was creeping us out. "You will take great care of that egg won't you?"

"Yes, Miss!" Talon and I said in a unison soldier salute style.

"Hmmm. We will meet again Hank Coro." She said as eh walked away.

"How did she know my name?" I wondered.

"Hank, you're from a pretty high standing family. People will know your name sometimes." Talon replied. "But that doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that we open your 'present' as soon as possible." He said motioning to the Egg we now had in our position, which started to move just ever so slightly as if it agreed.

**So there it is. 3 chapters in and were about to hatch an egg… that came out wrong. Anyways, a fair heads up… this book will function a lot like a musical, mainly because I want to, and also because I need a way to get all of my Theatre Class out of my system. So, there you go. Until Next Time, don't open your presents early.**


	5. Gabriel

Gabriel

As I walked around Violet City, holding an egg in my arms, I wondered what it would be like when it hatched. I was bent on not leaving until it did. It would be the first pokemon I saw in the city and I'd be able to add it to my party. "Hey!" Talon the Pidgey said as he popped out of his poke ball, scaring the heck out of me.

"Gah! Talon, you scared the heck out of me!"

"Sorry. Did the egg hatch yet? It's been like 3 hours. I want to leave!"

"Shhh…"

"What is it?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Do you here that?" I asked. I heard some faint music.

"No." Talon said. "Now come on, this egg could just be a dud. We need to get to the next town before anyone of us dies!"

"I'm not surprised." I sang.

"What?" Talon asked.

"Not everything lasts…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I've lost so many lives I've stopped keeping track."

"Oh yeah! Your other journey!' Talon said realizing. "You talked yourself in!" he sang.

"I talked myself out! I get all worked up!"

"Then you let yourself down! Must've tried so very hard not to lose it!"

"I came up with a million excuses. I thought I thought of every possibility…" I zoned off for a bit.

"Hank?" Talon asked. "You okay?"

"And I know someday that it'll all turn out!" I continued to sing, now to the egg. "You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out," Talon was clapping along now. "And I promise you kid, that I give so much more than I get… I just haven't met you yet!"

"We might have to wait." Flint sang as he popped out of his poke ball. "We'll never give up!"

"I guess it's half timing…" I sang.

"And the other half's luck!" Talon concluded.

"Wherever we are… Whenever it's right," We all sang in unison. "You'll come out of that egg and into our life!"

"And I know that we can be so amazing!" I soloed. "And maybe your help is going to change me…"

"And now we can see every possibility…" We all sang. "And somehow we know that it'll all turn out. You'll make us work, so we can work to work this out, and we promise you kid, we give so much more than we get… we just haven't met you yet!"

"They say all's fair in love and war…" Talon and Flint sang. "But we won't need to fight it, we'll get it right and be united…" Suddenly we all stared at the egg, that seemed to be going crazy all of a sudden. The three of us looked each other and our minds innately clicked.

"And we know that we can be so amazing…" We all sang. "And maybe, your help is going to change me, and now we can see every single possibility…" The egg was going crazy and I thought I could here it trying to sing with us. "And someday we know that it'll all turn out…and we'll work to work it out…"

"Promise you kid…" I soloed again. "I'll give more than I get…" the egg cracked a bit. "Then I get…" another crack. "than I get…" Another.. "Than I get…." Suddenly the top of the egg broke off, and we could see a spiky head appearing.

"Oh you know that it'll all turn out!" We all sang as the pokemon started to hatch. "And you'll make us work, so we can work to work it out…"

"And I promise you kid…" I soloed. "To get so much more than I get…yeah… I just haven't met you yet!"

"We just haven't met you yet." Flint and Talon harmonized.

"Oh promise you kid, to give so much more than I get." I sang. "I said la, la, la, la, la, la… I just haven't met you yet."

Talon and Flint continued to harmonize with 'la's and I continued to sing. "Oh, oh, ohhh." The egg suddenly turned white and we knew it was almost done hatching. "I just haven't met you yet…" I finished up as Talon and Flint drifted the song off into oblivion.

When the egg's light finally faded, I was face to face with what I believed to be a Togepi, but something was a bit different about this one.

"Hey, Gabriel…" I said pulling out a poke ball. "Welcome to our world." I tried to return him but he expertly dodged out of the way.

"Hah! Missed!" He gloated.

"Guys, the baby Togepi is talking!" I informed Talon and Flint nervously.

"Well of course." Flint said. "He _is _your pokemon. It makes sense that you'd understand him."

"Guys-" Talon tried to say something but I cut him off.

"But, he's a _baby_! He's level 1! How can anyone understand him?"

"Well, maybe humans can't understand human babies, but pokemon babies are a different story."

"Guys!" Talon yelled getting our attention. "Gabe's running away!" He pointed urgently. I returned Flint and had Talon help me catch Gabriel.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked.

"I'm not getting caught! Not while I've only just started living!" Gabriel was putting up a fight but I had him pinned down pretty well.

"Gabriel,"

"Who?"

"You! You're name is Gabriel. Now, you're going to come with us. We need your help!" Then Gabriel did something I didn't think a Togepi could do. He used Extrasensory, and lifted himself out of my arms and started walking back toward Cherrygrove.

"You want me?" Gabriel asked. "Come and get me!"

"Hank, I hear music again…" Talon said.

"But I'm warning you Hank…" Gabriel gloated. "One minute, I'm in National Park!" He sang as he jumped in front of a poster for National Park which was a park near Goldenrod City. "Then I'm down on Route 33!" He sang as he changed the poster to a picture of Route 33 with extrasensory.

"Get back here!" I said, not in the mood for another song,

"I said, from the Bow'ry to Poke. Marx," Gabriel sang. "There's a syncopated beat! I said whooo, whooo, whoo, whoo, whoo. I'm streetwise!" he sang as he walked by a tree that was about to fall on him.

"No!" I yelled.

"I can Improvise!" He sang as he used Extrasensory to dodge the tree. "I said, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo."

"Two in one day…" Talon said, shaking his head at two musical numbers in one day.

"I'm street smart" Gabriel sang as he floated with ease past a barrage of wild pokemon. "I've got Violet City heart!" The pokemon all lunged for him, but he easily started dodging as he continued to sing. "Why should I worry? Why should I care? I may not have a dime, oh, but I got street savoir fare!"

"I'm really not in the mood for this…" I told Talon as we both ran after him onto route 29

"Why should I worry?" Gabriel sang in my face, annoying the crap out of me. "Why should I ca-are-are-are…. It's just a beebopulation, I got street savoir fare…"

"Get back here!" Talon snapped, diving to catch Gabriel, but he escaped again.

"The rhythm of the city…" Gabriel sang as we approached New Bark Town, "But once you get it down, you can own this town, you can wear the crowowown!"

"Gabriel! It's like, 6:00 pm now, people are eating dinner, be quiet!"

"Why should I worry?" He sang in my face obnoxiously. "Why should I care? I may not have a- woahhhhh!" He was lifted up higher and soon I saw that Lyra was holding him. She looked angry for a moment, and then fell to her knees.

"You didn't even say goodbye…" She said. That fact made me feel terrible, and the worst part is I had nothing to say in response.

"I'm sorry…" I said. "I'll stay here for a while if you want. I promise to let you know the next time I leave…"

"You better!" She said, a little angrily as I help her up. "What type of cute pokemon is this?" She asked, as she handed me a now sleeping Gabriel.

"That's a Togepi." I said. "They're actually really rare. It hatched from that Egg that professor Elm had, and since we're here, we might as well show him."

"Alright." Lyra said. "But afterward, you have to stay for the week!"

….

*Burned Tower, Ekreuteak City*

"This is the place?" Mew asked.

"Yes. It's the place. All three of them should be here, waiting."

"And what about their leader, the bird?" Mew asked.

"He's preparing to meet your trainer. Was the egg received?"

"It's well, and hatched." Mew replied.

"And what about the Pidgey? Did he cross over into Johto in one piece?"

"He did, so now what do we do?" Mew asked urgently.

"We let time pass."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So, this is what hatched from the egg?" Professor Elm asked in amazement. "Hank, this is quite possibly the _only_ Togepi in the Johto region! Just like Flint is the only Quilava!"

Gabriel and I looked at each other with wicked grins on our faces. "High five?" I offered.

"You know it!" He replied as he used Extrasensory to lift himself up and give me a high five."

"For a baby, he sure knows a powerful move…" Lyra exclaimed. "I didn't think a Togepi could learn Extrasensory…"

"Apparently one can!" Gabriel said sticking his tongue out at her.

"Hank!" Lyra snapped when she saw me snickering. "Do something about your naughty Togepi!"

"Ok, ok… Gabriel, return…" I said as I beamed him back in.

"Him too." Lyra said, indicating Talon, who was still out of his poke ball.

"But I need to have at least one pokemon out at all times!" I whined, "it's the entire reason I was given a pokemon in the first place!"

"He just… Looks like Braveheart is all…" Lyra said uneasily. "It doesn't matter though. We have some serious catching up to do."

*Pallet Town, 1 week later*

"Harold!" Mom called. "Get the phone, sweetie, Mommy's in the bathroom and Daddy's at Hoenn on business!"

"Alright Mom!" Harold called back. He ran over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello, this is Hank Coro." I said on the other line. "to whom am I currently speaking?"

"Hank! Oh, it's good to hear from you! Hey guess what! Guess what!"

"What is it Harold?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Eevee evolved into a Glacion, and it and Sparky had a baby Eevee!"

"Sparky?" I asked, excited to hear that my old Jolteon was still okay.

"Yeah! We adopted Sparky from Bill shortly after you went to Johto! The Eevee is old enough to handle itself now, and it's back at Bill's house!"

"In Cerulean?"

"No, in Goldenrod! You should totally go there at let it come with you on your adventure!"

"Harold I would but…" I looked at Lyra and she nodded.

"You have to tell him."

"Tell me what? Is that Lyra? Tell her I say hi!"

"Harold…" I said feeling a little uneasy. "The Johto region isn't safe."

"Hank, the entire reason you moved to Johto was because it was safe."

"That was before I knew it was also trapped in a Nuzlocke, Harold!" I yelled.

"….*Beeeeeep*"

*Back in New Bark*

"He hung up…" I said as I realized Harold had hung up.

"Hey it's ok." Lyra said. "So, where are we going next?"

"We?" I jumped up, stunned. "Lyra you cant possibly be serious about-"

"If I fucking flew to the Kanto Power Plant to help you out with Zapdos, and fucking flew to the Seafoam Islands to help you with Articuno, and I even tried to help you with Moltres back on One Island, I'm pretty sure I have enough capabilities to accompany you through my _home region, _Hank Coro!" She snapped. I flinched, scared that the anger would turn tangible and hit me in the face.

"Yeah!" Flint said, releasing himself. "Let her come! She's clearly more experienced than you anyway."

"Actually-" Talon chirped, but I grabbed him with my left hand.

"Yep! You're absolutely right Flint, haha!" I gave Lyra a glance that let her know that my past adventure was a secret. She nodded, with a small smile. "You sure you want to do this?" I asked, holding out my right hand.

"Hank, since when is either one of us _ever_ sure?" She joked as she took it and we walked down Route 29 again.

*Elm's Lab*

"The Egg already hatched…" Elm spoke into the phone.

"Excellent." replied a feminine voice on the other side. "If this trainer truly is the one of prophecy-"

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here." Elm cut her off. "He still has plenty of tests left before we'll know if he truly is the hero we're looking for…"

*Route 31 (I think)*

"So, our best bet is to head down this route and cut through Union Cave to Azalea Town." Lyra said pointing at the map we had. "There's a bug type gym there, so Flint and Talon shouldn't have a problem with it."

"Alright!" I said as I released Gabriel from his poke ball. "But fist thing is first, we need a new pokemon from this Route!"

*Liteweight the Hopip joined the party*

*-splash, synthesis*

"You don't know any attacking moves?" I asked desperately.

"I don't need to take your crap!" He said as he tried to punch me in the face, but the wind started to carry him away. "Ahhh! Help! I can't control myself! Help me out! Get me down!" He screamed as he flew down the Route.

"Oh, for the love of Arceus…" I mumbled under my breath as I ran after him.

"So…" Lyra said to Gabriel. "How do like the world you've become a part of?"

"Toge-pri!"

"Oh yeah… you're Hank's pokemon, so I cant understand you… any chance you can try to use extrasensory to communicate?"

Gabriel shook his head.

"Liteweight…." I said as I finally caught him. "When did you learn Tail Whip…?"

"I learn Tackle soon, I swear!" He swore to me. "Just get us through Union Cave!"

*Absolutely nothing important happens in Union Cave, (Besides Liteweight learning Tackle)*

*Azalea Town*

"Oh, the heavenly smell of charcoal!" Flint said as he took a whiff of the air.

"I'm not that big a fan…" Lyra said as she plugged her nose. I stared in awe at her. "What? It smells bad!"

"No, it's not that…. Flint is my pokemon, so how come you can understand him?"

*Ring* *Ring* "Hold on." I said. "Let me get that…Hello?"

"Hi Hank, it's Joey, remember me?"

"Oh, hi joey! You ready for that rematch?"

"Well actually, do you remember my Rattata?"

"Yes….."

"It's not like other Rattata is it? It's like my Rattata is in the top percentage of Rattata…"

"Okay…"

"Alright bye." *Beep*

Joey….what the hell was that for?

*Kurt's House*

The wooden door made a gigantic creaking sound as it opened. "Anyone home?" Lyra asked as we walked in.

"We heard you could make poke balls out of Apricorns!" I said, holding up the variety of Apricorns I had collected in my bag.

"Hewwo?" A little girl appeared from behind a desk.

"Hi pretty!" Lyra exclaimed. "We're looking for Kurt… is he here right now?"

"Gwampa's heading fo the Swopoke Weww…"

"Hey, y'know I saw some pretty shady characters heading for that well not too long ago!" Gabriel pointed out. "They were dressed so oddly… in black uniforms, with big red Rs on their shirts…"

Lyra and I exchanged worried looks. "Do you really think….they're back?" She asked with a bit of a scared tone.

"Little girl…" I said urgently. "Your grandpa, did he have pokemon with him?"

The little girl shook her head. "He was just going to check up on the well like he always does…"

"Hank, we have to go!" Lyra exclaimed. "Kurt, as well as many pokemon in that well, could be in terrible trouble!"

I nodded. "Gabriel, return." I said as I returned him and sent out Talon. "Talon, keep watch over this girl. Make sure no Rocket Grunts get her, understand?"

"Understood! You can count on me!"

"Alright. If we're not back within a few hours, go find help okay?" He nodded to show he understood. And as Lyra and I ran toward the well, I could only think of what Silver and Looker said before, Team Rocket really was back. Only this time, they would be able to plan about me ahead of time. I no longer had the luxury of being a nobody to them. Whoever was still part of that group knew about me, and wanted me to suffer. I wasn't getting out of this Nuzlocke that easily.

**Yeah, I couldn't think of a good name for this chapter. Sorry. But hey, to make it up to you, if one of you can think of a good time, I'll retitle the chapter to the one I like the most. So, what awaits Hank and Lyra in Slowpoke well? Is Kurt alright? Will Hank meet a new teammate? Only time can tell…**


	7. Re-Incarnation

Re-Incarnation

In hindsight, running to Slowpoke well was a pretty bad idea. As I reached the well, I heard Lyra yell, "Hank wait!" Just as I slipped on some mud and fell face first into said well.

"Ugghhh." I groaned.

"Hank?" Lyra called can you hear me?"

"Ly-ya?" I asked back. I couldn't pronounce my words too accurately because the fall had damaged my mouth. I put my hand on my scalp. Yep…It was definitely bleeding.

"Hank! I'm coming down there! Just hang- woah Ahhh mmmfff!"

I didn't quite understand what happened…but it seemed like Lyra had just been kidnapped.

"Ly-a?" I called. "Weh ah you? You okay?" I struggled to get up, but I eventually managed to get back on my feet. I was breathing heavily. I wiped some blood from off my mouth. "Lyra?" I called again. I heard some footsteps… "Lyra?" I asked again. I could feel myself fainting.

A man stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in all black. There was a big red R on his shirt. "Hey Proton, I think I found him!" the man called over. Before I could do anything, even just say 'stop', I fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

*Slowpoke Well (Back)*

I woke up in pitch black darkness. I could feel two people beside me. One on my right, and one on my left. We were all tied up against some sort of rock. "Oh, good. You're awake!" I heard Lyra say on my left.

"Lyra?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"Oh, so _this_ is the way Hank Coro acts…" The guy on my right said sarcastically.

"Who's that?" I asked Lyra.

"Kurt, leave Hank alone! Hank, that's Kurt, they guy we came to try and save."

"And you're doing a wonderful job so far." Kurt sneered.

"Will you just shut up?" I asked annoyed. "We ran into a little trouble but-" I was cut off by lights around the well bottom turning on. An important looking Rocket guy stepped into view. He had teal hair and was followed by around 3 regular Rocket grunts. This was new. I had never seen this Team Rocket member before. What I recognized, however, was the music that started to play.

"Well, well, well…" The man sang walking up to me. "What have we here? Hank Coro huh?" I glared at him. "Ooh I'm really scared!" He joked in my face. "So you're the one everybody's talking about, ha-ha-ha-hah…"

I growled in dissatisfaction at his mockery of me.

"You're joking!" He continued to sing. "You're joking! I can't believe my eyes! You're joking me, you gotta be! This can't be the right guy." He started singing it to his Rocket Grunts. "He's teenage! He's scrawny! I don't know which is worse! I might just bawl my eyes out, if I don't die laughing first!"

"Let us go!' Lyra yelled. He turned his attention back to us.

"When Mr. Captain Proton says there's trouble close at hand, you better pay attention now, cuz I'm the Proton Man!"

"This is ridiculous." I said.

"And if you aren't shaking," Proton directed his attention at me now. "There's something very wrong, because this may be the last time, you hear the Proton Song! Ohhh!"

"Ohhh!" The rocket grunts echoed.

"Ohhh"

"Ohhh" They echoed again

"Ohhh!"

"Ohhh, he's the evil Proton Man!"

"Well, if I'm feeling antsy!, and there's nothing much to do…I might just make a special batch of my famous Rocket stew! And don't you know the one thing, that would make it work so nice?" He asked me as he grabbed me, and lifted me up against my will, but I couldn't do much about it as I was tied up. "A lean and mean, Hank Coro teen, to add a little spice!"

The chorus of "Ohhs" came again and lasted just as long as the first won.

"Release us fast!" Kurt said. "Or you must face the dire consequences! My granddaughter is expecting me so _please_ come to your senses!"

Proto dropped me on the ground and moved over to Kurt. I could feel a tear in the rope I was tied in…I started inching my way towards the rocks…suddenly a Zubat came down and helped me by chewing the rope apart.

"You're jokin' You're jokin'!" Proton sang at Kurt. "I can't believe my ears! Would someone shut this fella up? I'm drowning in my tears! It's funny, I'm laughing. You really are too much! And now, with your permission: I'm going to do my stuff!"

"wh-What are you going to do?" Lyra asked.

"Keep going!" I whispered to the Zubat who was helping me. "He's too distracted singing!"

"Oh, I'm going to do the best I can!" Proton said wickedly as he brought in a bunch on Slowpoke and pulled one out of the crowd. "Lucky Evens, unlucky Odds!" Proton said as he took out two dice and rolled them on the well floor. "ooh…Evens. That's lucky…for me!" He said as he pulled out a steak knife and cut the Slowpoke's tail clean off.

"You monster!" I yelled. Proton turned to me. Whoops. I began to back away from him, but he edged ever closer.

"Oh, the sound of rolling dice," He sang. "To me is music in the air, 'Cause I'm a gabling Proton man, although I don't play fair! It's much more fun, I must confess, when lives are on the line!" I realized I was right over the sewage removal part of the well. I better not fall, but Proton seemed to have a different opinion. "Not mine of course, but _your's_ old boy, now that'd be just fine!"

"Release us fast or you will have to answer for this heinous act!" Kurt protested.

"Oh brother!" Proton sang, turning from me, back toward Kurt. "You're something! You put me in a spin! You aren't comprehending, the position that you're in!"

I noticed an empty poke ball of mine, click, and saw that the Zubat had voluntarily joined my party. And then I knew why it helped me. I knew who the Zubat was.

*Dracula (re)joined the party!*

I sent him out again. "You know what to do." I told him. "Just wait for the right moment!"

"It's hopeless!" Proton gloated while singing in Kurt's face. "You're finished! You haven't got a prayer! Because I'm a boss of the great Team Rocket, and you ain't going nowhere!"

"NOW!" I yelled and Gabriel flew in on Dracula. Gabriel used Extrasensory to push Proton into the sewage removal, and Dracula helped use Bite to chew Lyra's and Kurt's ropes apart.

"You-You actually _did_ save me?" Kurt asked astonished before he fainted.

"Hank- how did you?" Lyra put her hand to her head. "Hank, I don't feel too well…can we go back to Azalea?" She asked before she too, collapsed and fainted.

"Yes…" I said as Gabriel and Dracula came back to me. I turned to all the Slowpoke. "Let's all get back to town."

*Kurt's house*

"Hank Coro!" An all too familiar voice said as I entered Kurt's house with both Kurt and Lyra hunched over my shoulders. "Of all the irresponsible-"

I knew she wasn't going to argue when she saw me carry in Kurt and Lyra and lay them both down gently on two beds. "It's nice to see you too Pearl." I said. Of all the five children in my family, Pearl was the 3rd born, making her the middle child of the middle children. She and Dia got along great, the same way Harold and I got along, and then Cynthia barely hung out with the family because she was off doing champion stuff in Sinnoh. Anyways, the point is, Pearl and I had never had the best sibling relationship. Since I had turned 16 recently I wondered if she had come to congratulate me, but that wasn't why she was here. Her reason was worse. Much worse.

*Outside Azalea Gym*

"Home? You want to take me home?"

"Hank, it's way too dangerous all the way out here!" She pulled me in a little more closely. "Plus, the Johto officials aren't the brightest bulbs in the box. Most of them think that Team Rocket still exists."

"Heh…" (It does still exist! I was just almost killed by one of their new leaders!)

"Hank, please just make the correct choice…"

"Hank?" Lyra asked as she walked up to me and Pearl. "Oh, hi Pearl… Hank, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Lyra, but Hank has to come back to Kanto."

"No Pearl! I don't!" I said. "This region needs me! It needs me terribly! Today I learned that the hard way! Nothing you say is going to change my mind! I _need_ to stay!"

"Hank, I can't put you through all this again! We all know what happened the last time you tried to do something like this-"

"Pearl, I liberated Kanto's biggest city from terrorists, defeated 3 supposedly undefeatable monsters, collected all eight badges in the region, and managed to defeat one of the Elite 4! I just need to do some more training!"

"No Hank! You aren't continuing on this quest!"

"Ummm…Excuse me?" A girlish boy walked up to us. He had purple hair and was in a Bug-Catcher's outfit minus the hat.

"What?!" Pearl and I both snapped at him.

"Well, I'm Bugsy. I'm the gym leader here. Maybe his battle with me can decide his fate. A simple one on one match."

"Fine." Pearl said crossing her arms. "Hank, what say you to that?"

"I say I'm not going anywhere. Prepare to be demolished Buggy."

"It's Bugsy."

"Sorry ma'am."

"I'm a boy."

"Sorry sir."

**And there we go. Hank is about to battle Bugsy for his second gym badge, and for his right to continue journeying through the Johto region. **


	8. Bugs Bugging Me

Bugs Bugging Me

As Talon and I walked into the gym, we noticed something strange. The room was covered in webs. "I don't see how this is going to work…" Said Talon. "There's nowhere I can land without being stuck like a-"

"Bug pokemon are my specialty." Bugsy said, walking in behind us. "I take it you're using that Pidgey against me?"

"Yeah. I have absolute faith in Talon!" I said.

"I'd have thought you'd use your Quilava…That Pidgey won't be enough to beat my pokemon."

"That's where you're wrong!" I countered.

"We'll see." Bugsy smirked. "Go, Scyther!" (Oh you _have_ to be kidding me.)

"Um….I don't like the look of those scythes…" Lyra leaned over and said to Pearl, who was sitting in the bleachers.

"Scyther is a…special…pokemon." Pearl said. "It's only a basic pokemon but it's stats can rival some _final _evolutions. Stat-wise, Hank is at a disadvantage."

"But a huge advantage everywhere else!" I called over. I turned to Bugsy. "Alright let's start this! Talon, use Quick Attack!"

"Scyther counter it with your own Quick Attack!" The Scyther was incredibly faster than Talon and landed it's hit first.

"Talon you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Talon said, recovering from the blow. "Barely a scratch."

"Alright, use Gust!" Talon whipped up a tornado of wind and sent it straight at the Scyther.

"Scyther, use U-Turn!" Bugsy ordered. The Scyther, who was clearly in pain from the gust, used U-Turn and slammed Talon right into the wall of the building.

"Aggh!" Talon yelled. "Ow, oh my Arceus! That hurt!"

"Talon don't give up!" I yelled. "Use Roost!" Talon reluctantly landed on the giant spider-web over a hole in the floor, and roosted.

"Roost?" Lyra asked Pearl, inquisitively.

"Roost." Pearl nodded. "The pokemon using it recovers up to half it's lost health, but Talon Roosted right on that web…And I don't think that bodes well for Hank."

"Scyther, U-Turn again!" Bugsy ordered, and the Scyther slammed into Talon and broke the web, causing them all to fall.

"Talon!" I yelled. The Scyther flew back up.

"Never just go into a gym battle willy nilly like that." Bugsy said as his Scyther landed by him. "You're pokemon will suffer greatly for you underestimations."

"Talon…." I fell to my knees.

"Hank…" Lyra slowly walked onto the field.

"Alirght, I've seen enough." Pearl said, getting up. "C'mon Hank let's go home."

"Talon…" I was crying now. He was the son of my favorite bird pokemon in the world, and now I had let them both down. My tears created a blinding flash that blurred my vision. "Talon…."

"Hank.." Lyra started to shake me.

"Talon!" I cried.

"Hank look!" Lyra yelled. I opened my eyes, and soon realized that the flash I thought was my tears, was actually coming from the hole I was leaning over.

"Talon?" I asked looking down. The light got brighter, and brighter, and soon something zoomed up out of the hole and flew right by my head. The gust of wind was so strong it knocked me back onto my feet.

As the light and wind cleared, I saw the most badass looking Pidgeotto I'd ever seen.

"You called?" He asked with a smile.

"Haha, We're not done yet, Bugsy!" I hollered at Bugsy. "Talon, use Gust to wrap Scyther in the broken strands of web!"

"You got it boss!" Talon smirked and he flew up into the air, and concocted a gigantic whirlwind of web strands.

"Scyther! Get out of there!" Bugsy called.

"Sorry, Bugsy…" I said with a grin, "But everyone knows that Scythers aren't strong flyers! So yours isn't going to dodge _that_ anytime soon!"

"No!" Bugsy gasped in disbelief as Talon performed Quick Attack after Quick Attack on Scyther.

"I….I don't believe it…." Pearl said, her mouth agape. "He…He's winning now…"

"Alright Talon, let's wrap this up!" I called with a grin. "Quick Attack the Scyther into that hole!"

"Nooo!" Bugsy screamed. "Stop the match, stop it! Scyther return!"

"Talon, stop attacking." I calmed him down. I turned to Bugsy. "Sorry man, I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's fine." He said looking at his poke ball. "I did too…."

"Well…I've seen everything I needed to." Pearl said walking onto the battlefield. "Hank: You're a reckless boy who's in way over his head." Then she hugged me and kissed my forehead. "Good Luck saving Johto."

And with that, Pearl left the building. Not looking back once.

"And this is also for you!" Bugsy said holding out the Hive Badge. "This will allow your pokemon to use Cut outside of battle in this region! Good thing you have it now, because the Ilex Forest is becoming overgrown with those types of trees, and one is blocking the path to Goldenrod."

Lyra and I looked at each other. Goldenrod. That's the city where _he_ lives. He may be able to help us.

"Thanks Bugsy!" I said. I turned to Lyra. "Come on, let's get to Goldenrod ASAP."

As we approached the Ilex Forest Entrance, I sent out Dracula the Zubat. "I can't believe I actually found you!" He said excitedly. "Now you can actually train me! Right? Right?"

"Haha, sure Dracula, I guess I do owe it to you." I said cheerily. "How long had you been looking for me?"

"Oh, I've been keeping an eye on you since you left New Bark with Lyra. I tried to get to you in Union Cave, but there was this turf war between the Sandshrew and the Rattata there, so I layed low, and hid in Slowpoke well, and then when I saw you in trouble, I had to help!"

"Well, you definitely deserve to be trained if that's actually the case." I said.

"Actually…." I heard a voice say. "The case right now is that you're still going strong on your journey."

"Hank…Who's that?" Lyra asked pointing and tugging at my shoulder. I turned around.

"Silver." I said.

"Silver!?" Lyra asked, astonished.

"Silver." Silver said nodding.

"Dracula!" Dracula exclaimed attempting to lighten the gloomy mood that had suddenly fallen upon Azalea.

"Let's finish this quickly." Silver said holding out a poke ball. I motioned for Dracula to prepare for battle. "Then Mo-…Ariana's plan can be put into action."


	9. Now that's Faretch'd

It's just all so Farfetch'd!

I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. All that I really knew was that I was battling Silver's Zubat with my own. The entire week had sort of been this giant fast-paced adventure for me, which kind of stank. If this was what all 16 year olds felt like, I'd rather go back to being 15 again.

"Finish it off with Bite, Dracula!" I called out as Dracula was able to knock Silver's Zubat unconscious by biting it.

"Hmph," Silver said returning his pokemon. "It's just as I thought. You're pathetically weak. Out of my way!" He said as he shoved past Lyra and I.

"So that was Silver?" Lyra asked. I nodded. "I can't believe you aren't going to chase after that guy after what he did to your pokemon back at Indigo…"

"He'll be taught his lesson in due time, Lyra. For now, let's get through this forest." I said motioning towards the Ilex Forest.

*Ilex Forest*

First pokemon seen: Caterpie

"Ok, Liteweight, I want you to weaken it so I can catch it!"

"Destroy!" Liteweight yelled as he Tackled the Caterpie into a tree, squishing it.

"Dammit Liteweight!" I yelled.

"Hey," The Hopip turned to me. "Don't make me Tackle you too! Arggg!" He charged for me, and then a gust of wind blew. "Gah!" He cried. "Help! Help! Help!"

"Iiiii got you, stop whining." Talon the Pidgeotto said as he grabbed Liteweight with his talons.

"Hey you!" A boy ran up to me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Find my two Farfetch'd an I'll give you the HM Cut, which you need to get through here." Wait….What? Find this kid's lost pokemon?

"How did you lose both your Farfetch'd?" Lyra asked, a little annoyed.

"They don't listen to me because they're too high a level and technically belong to my boss. I work at the Charcoal Kiln."

"Don't worry." I said. "Flint and I will get them back for you!"

"Yeah we'll- wait, what? Why do I have come?"

"Well, because you're the only one who can learn Cut when we get the HM!"

"This is outrageous. I ought to be able to learn Cut too!" Liteweight said, attempting to cross two stubby Hopip arms.

"I'd say it's Farfetched." Talon joked.

"BUAHAHAHAHA!" Gabriel started laughing hysterically.

"Kid, it's not that funny…" Dracula said. "And a pun, Talon? Have some more originality."

"Hank…"Talon whined. "Dracula's being a buzzkill."

"Hank…" Liteweight whined. "Talon's telling on Dracula."

"Hank…" Gabriel whined. "Liteweight is trying to get Talon in trouble."

"Oh, my Arceus, Shut UP!" Flint yelled.

There was a bunch of silence until Gabe finally asked. "What's an Arceus?"

"That's not important." I replied. "Now you all get along. Lyra will take good care of you. Flint and I will be right back."

*Later*

"Catch him!" Lyra screamed at me as I returned and saw Liteweight floating away again. Goodness, he's so light.

*Even Later*

"I'm sorry Flint, but you're the only one who can learn this move…" I said.

"And if I refuse to learn it?"

"Oh no big, we just have to stop traveling around the region, go back home, and chances are that since the region is a Nuzlocke, you'll all die due to some kids in town that borrow you guys from Professor Elm for a pokemon battle."

Flint didn't buy into my created chain reaction, but everyone else sure did. All four of my other pokemon pinned Flint down to the ground. "Teach him Cut now, before we all die!" Dracula yelled.

"No! Please! I don't want that move! I don't want it!" Flint said struggling.

"Im so sorry, my friend." I said. "But this has to be done. If I had any other pokemon that could learn Cut, I'd teach it to them." I took out the new HM01 of Cut that I had.

"Ready Flint?" I asked. He shook his head vigorously. Flames started to swirl a bit.

"I don't think he's ready." Talon said. "Let's get this over with quickly, before he gets too powerful for us to hold him back."

"No!" Flint screamed. "No! no! Nooooooo!"

*Even Later*

As soon as I had everyone in their pokeballs, I sent out Gabriel.

"'K Gabe," I said, "Let's get out of this forest."

"What's that man doing?" Gabe asked, pointing to a man headbutting a tree.

"He's using Headbutt, I guess." I said.

"I want it."

"What?" I laughed a bit.

"I want to learn Headbutt Hank, teach me."

"Well, you just sort of do what he just did on that tree."

"Headbutt!" Gabriel yelled as he rammed himself into a tree.

"Hey, Hank." Lyra leaned in. "You know you can find pokemon by headbutting trees."

"Like this Hoothoot!" Gabriel said, holding up a dead Hoothoot. Jeez, that Togepi is scary.

*Near the Exit of Ilex Forest*

"I can't find my way out, will you help me?" a familiar woman asked.

"Have we met?"

"No." She grinned. "You may have met a friend of mine."

"I'm not going to help you find the way out." I said. "It's right there." I said pointing.

"Screw this." Gabriel said. "I'm going."

"Oh is this pokemon going to show me the exit? What a smart pokemon! Thank you!"

Gabriel gave me a weird look, and I returned it. Neither one of us knew what the hell to say.


	10. Sunnyside Up

Sunnyside Up

"Alright, Bulbasaur, use Take Down!" The Picknicker outside of Ilex Forest said as we engaged in battle.

"Liteweight, float away!" I ordered. We were on Route…uhh…(forgive me, since Johto is an extension off of Kanto it's harder to remember route numbers) Route 34…yeah Route 34. We had just gotten out of the Ilex Forest, and Lyra was scouting ahead to make sure we could avoid any more unnecessary confrontations such as this one.

"On it boss!" Liteweight said with a grin as he gently pushed himself off of the ground and let the wind do all of the work. The Bulbasaur ran right under him and into a tree.

"Bulbasaur!" The girl whined.

"Alright Liteweight, now let's Tackle it and finish it!"

"Uhh…I'd love to but…"

Uh oh. "What is it Liteweight?" I asked a little worried.

"This wind is too strong! I need help!" I looked at the girl.

"You! This is serious, Liteweight will die unless you have that Bulbasaur use Vine Whip to get him right now." I urged her.

"Sucks for you then…" She said gloomily.

"Wh-what? Hey listen little girl! I'm not killing any of your pokemon! The least you can do is spare mine's life!"

The girl looked up at me. "Do you have _any _idea what it's like to have one of your pokemon killed?" I didn't answer. She clearly didn't want me to. "I had a full party of pokemon before not too long ago! A red haired kid killed half of them! If I cant keep my pokemon, why should anyone else?!"

Ouch…I remembered back on my Kanto journey when I went through the same thing after I lost my first pokemon…this girl would have to heal on her own though…I looked at Liteweight, who was trying as hard as he can to go against the wind but he was being carried quickly towards some tall trees…wait a minute…

"Liteweight!" I yelled "Use Tackle to bounce off of that tree and into Bulbasaur!"

"On it!" the Hoppip yelled. "Arghhhh! Bonzai!" He directed himself toward the tree and wall jumped off it and careened into the Bulbasaur, knocking it out.

"Yes! Awesome job Liteweight!" I ran over to pick him up, but he jumped up.

"No!" He said…"Wait a sec…I'm about to do something awesomer than that…" He said as he began to glow a bright white. It wasn't long before the white light enveloped him.

"Oooh! An evolution!" Dracula said, popping out of his pokeball. "That's like, over half your party evolved…"

"You don't have to long to go, yourself Dracula." I said as Liteweight's shape began to change. "Around five more levels and voila. You'll be a Golbat!"

"What's going on?" Gabriel the Togepi yawned as he popped out of his pokeball. "What's with all the noise?"

"Gabe, get back in your pokeball, you need rest…" I said.

"YOU need rest!" He said back in a pissy voice. "I wanna stay up and watch the evolution!" Oh crap, the evolution…was it over? I turned back to Liteweight just in time to see the light disappear from…him…

"What is it?" Liteweight the Skiploom asked. "In awe at my manliness?" He smirked.

"Try the exact opposite…" Gabriel snickered into Dracula's ear.

"Heh heh," Dracula laughed. "Poor guy.."

"Hey!" Liteweight shouted. "What are you two laughing at! We're all men here!" Gabriel and Dracula both cracked up. "Hank, what's going on?"

"Dude…you look even more girly than your basic form… I mean… that flower on your head… those ears… that face…I-I'm sorry Liteweight, but I need to return you for now."

"What? No don't you da-!" Too late. I returned him

"Alright, Gabriel, since you're up and out of bed…Where you _should_ be.." Gabriel beamed up at me. "We may as well practice Headbutting crap."

"Awesome!" Gabe cheered.

"What about me?" Dracula asked.

"You're going to be my battler in case any wild pokemon come along. Gabe's still just a child so we need someone who I know can handle himself, and judging from the way you handled Silver back in Azalea, I'd say you fit the bill."

"Thanks Hank. It means a lot. Especially since I spent most of my time with you in the PC Box back in-"

"Shhh!" I shushed him, making sure that no one heard what he said. "it's hard enough to keep Talon's mouth shut…" I said to myself. "Listen Dracula, I'll keep this real simple for you: what happened in Kanto, stays in Kanto."

*same area, around 6:30 AM*

"Hank…Hank wake up…"

"Uhh?" I said as Lyra turned me over and told me to wake up again.

"I checked the route. It's clear, we can get to Goldenrod without any trouble."

"Uhh." I said, trying to show that I understood.

*Same Area, 7:00 AM*

Now that I was ready and had refreshed myself in a nearby stream, I sent out Gabriel and Dracula.

"Ok guys!" I said. "Not a single wild pokemon yesterday, so today, we aren't leaving until I get someone from this route…and it better be because you Headbutted a tree!" I pointed at Gabriel. "Otherwise I'm giving the move to someone else!"

"No!" Gabriel said as he ran into a nearby tree, causing a nest to fall down. "Ahh! Hank! Hank! I found one!"

Dracula, Lyra, and I ran over to him. Inside the nest, was a sleeping Exeggcute. "Gabe, why so scared? It's only an Exeggcute…"

"She is cute…" Dracula said. Oh good lord. I didn't want to have to deal with this…pokemon on my Nuzlocke team can't have feelings for one another! It can only end in tragedy! The Exeggcute woke up. She looked directly at Dracula…then at Lyra, then at me, and each one of her…egg things…smiled with delight.

"Ex! Egg! Exeggcute!" She said happily.

"What did she say?" I asked Dracula.

"She said she'd love to come along with me!" Dracula said to me happily. "Hank, use a pokeball, come on! Use it!'

*Sunnyside the Exeggcute joined the party!*

"Wait…Wait a minute…" I said, smiling, realizing… "Oh my Arceus oh my Arceus oh my Arceus…" I started to hyperventilate through overjoyousness.

"Hank, what's going on?" Lyra asked, about to put her hand on my shoulder when I picked up the pokeball and spread my arms out towards the heavens.

"FULL PARTY!" I shouted as loud as I could.

"Dodrio!" I heard a Dodrio call in the distance.

"Hah. Looks like you could use some water." Lyra joked. "Come one we can get some breakfast at my Grampa's place."

*At the Day Care*

Not much happened here. We had an awkward discussion about how Lyra and I reminded her Grandma of when she first met Lyra's grampa. Oh, I left Dracula and Sunnyside in the Daycare for a little while so they could get to know each other. Hopefully they'd realize that they can't have eggs together and that their love was in vain.

"But I need the level-ups more!" Gabriel whined as Lyra and I entered Goldenrod

"No!" I said. "You're going to stay with the rest of the party and wait patiently until Sunnyside and Dracula come back! Then _maybe_ we'll see about dumping you in the daycare, but I'd prefer you stay in the party Gabe. After all, you are friends with Talon right?"

"Yeah…"

"And you want to be the center of attention right?"

"Right again…"

"Well, stay then! Have you noticed how often I keep you out of the pokeball? Honestly kid, I spoil you." I raid ruffling his spikes.

"Heheheheee." He giggled. "I know.."

"Alright here it is." Lyra said. "The radio tower of Goldenrod City." Gabe and I looked at it, and exchanged wicked grins. "I'm gonna go explore the Underground Path of the city." She said. "You boys do everything you came here to do. We can meet up in front of the pokemon center later ok?"

"Alright. Sure thing!" I said. "See you then!"

She smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "See you then." She replied before she left.

I looked out the door of the Radio Tower until I was sure she was gone.

"Alright she's gone!" I told Gabriel. "Lotto ticket?"

"Lotto ticket!" He agreed.

"It looks like…you've won an Ultra Ball!" the Lotto guy said.

"Wh-wait what? We did?" I asked, astonished I actually got a prize.

"Ooh!" Gabe tugged at my shirt. "Get a Radio Card for your Pokegear over there!" He pointed down the counter to where a cashier and a girl with pink hair were standing.

"Fill out the quiz correctly and get a radio free!" The cashier said with a smile.

"Thanks miss!" I said as I took the sheet of questions and stormed through them. They were all common knowledge so it was pretty easy.

*Radio Card Get!*

"Alright!" Gabe said. "What now?"

"Now we look for the gym." I said. The pink haired girl walked up to me.

"Excuse me, did you say you wanted to challenge the gym?"

"Yes…" I said, picking up Gabriel.

"OhmyArceusthat'ssuchacutepokemonwhattypeisitwherd idyoufinditwhatmovesdoesitknow?" The girl went berserk when she saw Gabriel. I have to keep in mind that he's the only Togepi in all of Johto

"H-his name is Gabriel, and he's a Togepi. They're rather uncommon in the world. I'm afraid I won't be using him in the Gym Battle though. He's still just a toddler."

"Oh good." The girl said. "I wouldn't feel right battling that cute thing!"

"Wait, you mean you're-?"

"Yep!" She said. She flicked her hair. "I'm Whitney, the leader of the Goldenrod City Gym! You look like…hmm maybe somehow you're related to my old teacher…does the name Bruce Coro ring a bell?"

"Yes, that's my father's name."

"Ahh. You must be Hank then. Sure I'll be glad to accept your challenge. I'll wait for you in my gym, but be warned: As a league official, I'm not allowed to bend the Nuzlocke rules. It's nothing personal. If it were up to me, I'd get rid of the rules entirely, but it's not up to me so do please be careful when you do face me. Tell you what: you can use as many pokemon as you want against my two ok?"

"O-ok."

"Alright. I'll see you in the Gym!" She said as she ran off.

"What just happened?" Gabriel asked.

"No time to really explain Gabe." I said. "We just need to get Dracula and Sunnyside out of the Day-Care and then we go challenge the Goldenrod gym and win my third badge." Little did I know, that my third badge would come at a terrible, terrible cost.

**The terrible terrible cost is death by the way. Someone WILL fall next chapter, and the Nuzlocke truly begins… so: Whitney…she's a pain in the butt even when it isn't a Nuzlocke, so I remember training before challenging her, yet I still lose a pokemon…but that's the way the cookie crumbles in a Nuzlocke. So: X and Y, that was sort of out of the blue(For me anyway) I'm probably going to get Y because I LOVE the design of that legendary Yveltal, but it really only surpasses my desire for X by a tiny tiny bit. Either way, I'm definitely not regretting buying a 3DS now. Fenekin or whatever it is looks soo cute to me. If I get one of those games, I'm choosing it UNLESS I discover that it becomes another freaking Fire/fighting type. I mean, when I saw that Monferno and Infernape were Fire/Fighting just like Combusken and Blaziken, I was like "Im kind of disappointed with the unoriginality but ok I guess," But when I saw that Pignite and Emboar were also Fire/Fighting I was just like "I'm getting freaking sick of this gimmick! Screw this, I guess I'll choose Snivy instead then." Other news, im currently in the middle of a Platinum run through, where I get to catch one new pokemon with every gym badge (Fun device to make the game more fun, you should try it.) and I was bored so I looked at all six of my pokemon in depth and although my Torterra had proven to be a massive powerhouse, and my Gallade was a great offensive sweeper, it was my Rapidash that scored the highest marks on my 'tests'. Oh by the way, this was the first time I trained up a Gallade, Lopunny, and Mothim ever, and I am having an absolute blast using each and every one of them. (Fun fact: Mothim's pokedex entries only ever mention it stealing honey from Combee…is that really the only thing that makes Mothim significant? It could state how Mothim doesn't need a cloak like its relatives or something but no. It just steals honey from Combee.) It's also the first time I'm using a Seaking in Sinnoh. They're usually more up my Alley when I'm in the Kanto/Johto area. Anyways, I'm putting these guys on my Battle Revolution game so if anyone has a Wii, uses that game on Random Matchup mode, and sees a guy named Doobop with these pokemon…It's me. (Go easy on me though cuz im not one of those competitive battlers so my pokemons IV's or whatever they're called probably suck.) Anyways Will Hank be able to Handle Whitney's Gym? Who is the unlucky pokemon that kicks the bucket? Anyways, Until Next time, remember to not try to mate Zubat with Exeggcute ~ Doobop**


	11. A Noble Sacrifice

A Noble Sacrifice

*Whitney's Gym*

As Flint and I entered Whitney's Gym, I noticed that the whole room was shaped like a Clefairy.

"Must be a Normal type gym…" I mumbled to myself.

"Well that might be a bit of a problem…" Flint said. "If it's a normal type gym, we have no way to effectively hit any of them. The best we can do is use powerful moves and hope for the best.

"Flint…" I said. "My aunt's been buying items with my money, and it just so happens that I have this in my possession now." I reached in and took out a Chilan berry. "This will weaken a normal type attack used on you. I'm going to need your power for the gym battle. I've already given one to Talon, and another to Liteweight."

The Quilava smiled. "Thanks, Hank." He said. "But I'd like to keep my Charcoal."

"Fair enough." I agreed, and sent Sunnyside the Exeggcute out. "Sunnyside, since your still realively low level compared to most of the party, I'm going to give you this berry. It will help you stay strong."

"Ok Master!" She said. "I'll do my best!"

"That's the spirit girl!" I encouraged her.

*Later in gym*

"Well, well, Hank…" Whitney said as I entered her little chamber. "I've been waiting for you for a while! What took you so long?"

"I had to make a few shopping errands." I said holding up a Poke Mart shopping bag, full of enough Super Potions to fill Slowpoke Well.

"Well, you're here now, so let's get started!" Whitney exclaimed. "This will be a full battle, but I'll only use 2 pokemon. The battle will be over when all pokemon on one side are unable to continue fighting."

"In addition." The ref added. "Only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions! Trainer, are you ready?"

"Of course I am!" I said with a grin, holding up a pokeball.

"Gym Leader, are you ready?"

"Ready as ever!" Whitney exclaimed as she readied her own pokeball.

"Battlers, send out your first pokemon!" The ref said.

"Go Clefairy!" Whitney called as she sent out a Clefairy.

"Flint! It's up to you!" I called as I sent Flint out.

"Hey Hank, look at that!" He joked. "We finally see why the gym is a Clefairy!

"Easy, now isn't the time for humor." I said seriously.

Lyra ran into the Gym. "Hank!" She yelled. "I'm here to cheer you on! Be careful out there!"

"Thanks!" I called back. "I will!" I turned toward Whitney. "I'll go first, Flint use Flame Wheel!"

"Clefairy dodge and use Attract!" Whitney exclaimed.

*Burnt Tower*

_Rise….Rise my subjects…._

"Master?" asked Suicune rising. "Entei, Raikou, wake up! I think I hear master!"

"huh? Wha?" Entei yawned as he awoke.

"You're hallucinating again Suicune…" Raikou said as she stretched out her paws. "Master flew off around 100 years ago when he gave us our lives back."

_Rise….Rise….._

"You heard that right?" Suicune asked. "It can't just be me…"

Entei and Raikou looked at each other, they had both heard it.

"Oh good, you're all up!" Mew said, appearing before them. "I have a task for you!"

The legendary beasts all looked at each other and then nodded.

"What's the task?" Inquired Entei.

Mew smiled.

*Goldenrod City*

"Good job Flint!" I said as Whitney returned her Clefairy.

"Noo! I killed her! My true love!" Flint started crying on the gym floor.

"It's just the Attract talking buddy." I said returning him. "And it's not really dead." I whispered into the pokeball. "You just knocked her out."

"You did good to take down my Clefairy, Hank Coro!" Whitney said. "But defeating my Miltank will be a much harder feat!" She sent out her Miltank. Alright, time to test out the newbie.

"Sunnyside I choose you!" I said as I sent out my Exeggcute.

"Ready to fight master!" She said.

(for the following scenes, listen to that one song from Karate Kid…you know what I'm talking about)

Sunnyside is Leech Seeding the Miltank.

Miltank is using Attract but it doesn't work because Sunnyside also happens to be female.

The Miltank's health is sapped by Leech Seed

Sunnyside uses Hypnosis, putting the Miltank to sleep.

Sunnyside lets loose a flurry of Barrage attacks on the Miltank

The Miltank's health is sapped by Leech Seed

The Miltank wakes up and eats a Sitrus Berry.

The Miltank's health is sapped by Leech Seed

Sunnyside goes for a Hypnosis, but misses.

The Miltank uses Stop to make Sunnyside flinch.

Miltank's health is sapped by Leech seed.

The Miltank uses Rollout.

(Stop the music)

"Sunnyside, return!" I called her back in to heal her up. I gulped and hoped for the best. "Liteweight, I choose you!" I sent out my Skiploom,

"Rollout Miltank!" It hit Liteweight straight on.

"No!" I shouted.

"Heh…don't worry boss…" Liteweight grinned. "I may be frail, and I may die someday, but it is not _this_ day!" He winked.

"That's the spirit!" I said as I returned him. I had wanted to give Sunnyside a Super Potion, but clearly that wasn't going to work. I'd have to hope for the Miltank's rollout to miss. "Sunnyside, I choose you again!"

"Master…*pant* what about *pant* healing me?"

"Just hang in there Sunnyside, I'm sure you can do it!"

"Miltank, use Rollout!" Whitney ordered. "I'm sorry Hank…" She said grimly. "But your eggs are about to get scrambled."

"No!" I screamed. I had come so far without a death, and I didn't want my newest pokemon to die right away! Was this really it for Sunnyside?

"Damn right no!" I heard a voice say and suddenly, Sunnyside was switched out, and the Miltank's rollout attack hit Dracula straight on.

**Dracula fainted**

"Dracula!" I screamed. As I sent out Sunnyday again to avenge him, the Leech Seed finally caught up to the Miltank, and it too, slumped to the floor dead.

"Dracula!" I ran up to Dracula

"Miltank!" Whitney ran up to her Miltank.

"Darcula I'm so sorry!" I said. "You were so close to evolution too!" I wanted to tell him it'd be alright but it wasn't. I had failed him in his finest hour… "I'm so sorry it had to end like this."

"Oh, cheer up Hank…" Dracula said in a wheeze. "You know what they say…Some things in life are bad. Some things make you mad! Others just make you swear and curse…"

"Dracula…" My pokemon all released themselves and crowded around him. They all wanted to be there for Dracula in his final moments.

"When you're chewing on life's gristle…" He sang. "Don't grumble, give a whistle! And this'll help things turn out for the best, ay…" He grinned as he breathed heavily. "Always look on the bright side of life, who who, who who who who who who," he whistled. "Always look on the light side of life, who who, who who who who who who. If life seems terribly rotten, there's something you've forgotten! And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing. When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly chumps, just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing! Always look on the bright side of life,"

"Who who, who who who who who who." Sunnyside began to sing alongside him.

"Always look on the light side of life." All the pokemon were singing now. "Who who, who who who who who who."

"For life is quite absurd." Dracula soloed. "And Death's the final word, you must always face the curtain, with a bow. Forget about your sins, and give the audience a grin! Enjoy it! It's your last chance anyhow!"

"But-" I began to protest, but Dracula wouldn't have it.

"So always look on the bright side of death, who who, who who who who who who. Just before you draw your terminal breath, who who, who who who who who who. Life's a piece of shit, when you look it at. Life's a laugh and Death's a joke it's true. You'll see it's all a show, keep on laughing as you go, just remember that the last laugh is on you!"

"Always look on the bright side of life." The rest of the pokemon sang. "Who who, who who who who who who. Always look on the light side of life. "Who who, who who who who who who."

"See there we are." Dracula said. "The end of the gym match."

"Dracula…" I said again as the pokemon continued to sing.

"Look, I started out with nothing, and I'm going back to nothing." He said. "What have I lost? Nothing!"

And that was the last sentence I heard out of Dracula. I approached Whitney who was mourning over her dead Miltank. "I-I'm sorry…" I said. "I didn't want to-"

"Just take your badge and fucking leave me alone!" She threw the badge and it would've pierced my eye out had Talon not caught it.

"Thanks." I told him.

"No sweat." Replied the Pidgeotto.

Lyra ran up to me. "Hank, Hank are you okay?" She was concerned. I showed her the dead Zubat I was holding.

"I will be, I can't say the same for him though…"

"Well I know what might cheer you up…" She handed me a flyer.

_Annual Bug Catching Contest! Calling all Trainers to National Park, just north of Glodenrod! Win one of our 3 grand prizes! This Thursday at 6:00! Don't be late!_

Lyra was right. The opportunity to catch a new pokemon did make me a little more happy, but I still made everyone go through a proper funeral and burial for Dracula.

"That contest is in a few hours…" I said. "If we hurry, I bet we could make it."

"That's for you bro…" She said as we walked towards Goldenrod's north gate. "I'm not about to catch no bug pokemon…"

As we laughed and walked past the radio tower, I could swear I was hallucinating, but I was fairly certain I saw a Team Rocket member lurking around near the entrance…

**So...The Death count has now reached an astounding 1 with the death of Dracula. (who seemed to take it pretty well…) Anyways, what pokemon (If any) awaits Hank at National Park? Find out next chapter!**


	12. The Big Bug Contest

The Big Bug Contest!

*National Park Gate*

"So apparently, that way is the Bug Catching contest…" Lyra said looking at the map and pointing toward a doorway in front of us. "But I'm curious as to what's off to the left. I've never noticed _that_ door before."

"Well, let's check it out. What do you say Gabriel?" I asked my Togepi, whom I was carrying in my hands.

"Left door! Left door!"

"Show me what's behind the left door!"

*Pokeathlon*

As we entered the building, I accidentally bumped into this big dude. He turned to face me. He was a very heavy man with one of those snow white walrus mustaches, and a white Mohawk on an otherwise bald head.

"And who are you?" He asked in a gruff voice. A Poliwrath who was standing next to him in the same position, turned and looked at me and Gabriel.

"S-sorry." I said. "I'm Hank, and this is my Togepi, Gabriel."

For a second I thought he was going to hit me, but his angry expression turned into jolly laughter. "You've got one hell of a tackle my boy!" He laughed.

"Th-thanks…" I said.

"The name's Magnus!" He said, holding out his hand. The Poliwrath held out its to Gabriel. "Me and Poliwrath, well we own this here stadium! Welcome to the Pokeathlon!"

"The Poke-…athlon?" Lyra inquired. "What is that?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked young lady! Allow me to dive into the crystal chapter of pokemon mythology. As I'm sure you know, we didn't always have the medicine that we have to treat diseases today, so long ago when a giant one swept over the entire Johto region, recovery for anyone at all seemed impossible!"

"What happened next?" Gabriel asked intrigued.

"What happened next?" I asked Magnus so that Gabriel's question would be answered.

"Well, the crystal chapter says, that a single hero and his three pokemon got wind of a place where a cure for everyone might be, but the journey would be dangerous, and there was absolutely no proof of any medicine or antidotes actually being there!"

"He and his pokemon went anyway though, didn't they?" Lyra asked as she gave me a grin.

"Why yes!" Magnus said. "Despite all the townspeople advising against it, the trainer and his pokemon set out for the rumored cure! They had to make their way through ten challenging and deadly obstacles, and when they finally reached the end…"

"There was a cure?" Lyra asked.

"No!" Magnus said. "Just like most townspeople said, absolutely nothing was there!"

"That's…disappointing…" I said.

"Maybe not…" Magnus said. "Because as the townspeople watched the hero and his pokemon go through obstacle after obstacle, they became filled with hope that perhaps they _could_ be cured after all! The hope was so great by the time the hero completed the tenth obstacle, that everyone had already chased out the disease from their bodies, and the fact that nothing was in the rumored area didn't matter anymore!"

"So the hero and his three pokemon….they healed the people…with hope?" Lyra asked

"And dedication!" Magnus said. "There were plenty of times when the hero wanted to give up, but he looked at his pokemon, and thought of the townspeople and knew how much they were counting on him, and he would continue to push on."

"So what does this have to do with the Pokeathlon?" I asked.

"The Pokeathlon is a chance for trainers to choose three of their pokemon and compete in a set of three of ten sporting events to reflect the hero and his three pokemon overcoming the ten deadly obstacles!" Magnus said.

"Cool…." Gabriel's eyes lit up.

"When can we sign up?" I asked.

"Right away!" Magnus said. Yes! "As soon as the renovations are finished in a month or so!" Ugh!

"A whole month?" Gabriel asked.

"A whole month?" I asked.

"Yes a whole month…" Magnus nodded. "We're developing a system that will award the pokemon medals if they win one of the five competitions. There's Speed, Stamina, Power, Skill, and finally, Jump. Here, let me see your pokedex." Magnus said as I gave him my pokedex. "This button right here…" He said pointing. "You can check how good your pokemon is with each of its athletic attributes using this button. Be sure to pay attention to those because they can change upon evolution, or sometimes even upon leveling up. When the renovations are complete do come and participate! You can get some great prizes if you rack up enough points on the chart!"

"Alright we will!"

*National Park*

"The rules are simple: You catch one bug pokemon using these park balls and then we will judge the bug pokemon based on level and stats." Said the park attendant. "You have twenty minutes. Your time starts now!"

*Wild Caterpie appeared at level 20*

Nuzlocke….Caterpie…..only one shot at this….

I threw the park ball, and the Caterpie was caught. When all was said and done, I got third place. Not bad Caterpie, not bad.

I could keep the Caterpie if I wanted to, so of course, I did.

*Bo the Caterpie joined the party*

I walked a few steps.

*Bo evolved into Metapod*

*Bo evolved into Butterfree*

*Bo learned Psybeam*

Well, I didn't win the bug contest, but that worked out nicely. Just in time for Ekruteak's Ghost Gym in fact….

*Route 36*

"So here's that infamous tree." I said as I sprinkled some water on the Sudowoodo.

"Sudo!" It lunged at me. I threw an Ultra Ball at it, and caught it rather easily.

*Trent the Sudowoodo joined the team* (Sent to Box)

*Route 37*

*Charolette the Spinarbox joined the box forever….*

*Sunnyside was poisoned!*

"Hank…I don't feel so good."

"It's ok!" I said as we were almost to Ekruteak.

*Sunnyside survived the poison!*

"See what did I tell you?" I said as we kept walking. "You'll be f-"

"Well, this trainer looks nice and weak!" A woman said walking up. " Go Wigglytuff! Rollout!"

"Sunnyside Hypnosis!" Sunnyside used Hypnosis, but it was too late. The Rollout hit the poor Exeggcute…and there was nothing I could do anymore.

*Sunnyside fainted*

In a fury, I sent out Gabriel and used Metronome. It turned into Sheer Cold.

As I gave Sunnyside a proper burial, Lyra finally caught up to me.

"Oh Hank…" She said as she saw my tears. "If you don't want to do this anymore, we _can_ just go back to New Bark Town. _I_ certainly won't think any less of you, and neither will anyone else, I'm sure of it.

"Lyra, please send out all my other pokemon."

"Why?" Gabriel asked as Lyra sent out Talon, Liteweight, Flint, and Bo.

"I need to talk to you." I said to Gabe. "All of you." I motioned to my other pokemon. We all huddled around Sunnyside's grave.

"Listen…" I said. "I planned not to tell any of you until we reached the Indigo Plateau, but…These rules, this nuzlocke…."

"Yes…" Flint said. Talon got a solemn look on his face.

"Hank…." He said.

"I've gone on a journey just like this before." I said. "And for the same reason! To stop it! To put an end to these rules!"

"Oh Hank…" Lyra said as she sat down beside me.

"I got really far too, working together with pokemon much like you! But just when it seemed that we weren't going to be defeated, disaster stuck, and they all went down with me. So I'm going to give you guys an offer. We can stop this… All this adventuring. We can just call it quits and go back to New Bark Town, or if you don't trust me, I have a friend in Goldenrod, who'll look after all of you along with those fortunate enough to survive my last journey. The thing is though, I'm not going to continue this quest unless you're all 100 percent on this. Of course, first, you have to believe in me. That is essential if we're going to succeed in even getting back home. So what do you say guys? Are going to keep on this journey? Do you believe in me?"

There was silence for quite a long time. Flint looked down at the ground. Talon started to nervously peck at his wing. Bo kept checking his hands to see if he was holding any food.

"Hmmm…." Liteweight thought while hopping.

"I….I believe in Hank!" Gabriel finally shouted.

"Gabriel!" I said!

"Gabriel!" Lyra smiled. She looked at me. "That Togepi really likes you Hank." She said. "You just told him a very ugly truth, but he still loyally stands by you."

"You…you believe in…in _him_?" Liteweight asked. "He who has been careless enough to lose two pokemon in the same week?"

"Well, when you paint him in that light, it does make him look rather bad, but…" He looked at me. "But Hank has also saved _all _of us from death on countless occasions, and not only that but all of you!...Every last one of you! You were all weak and fragile basic pokemon when he first caught any of you! And me! I _hatched_ from an _egg_ at level 1! I'm level 16 now, and I haven't ever even suffered a single scratch! Hank's a human, and mistakes, mistakes can happen, but even though…Even though I might be throwing my life away, it's completely worth it for what I'm fighting for! Imagine a world where you don't have to live in constant fear of dying every minute! Imagine a world where you can freely battle, and not have to worry about not being able to battle again another day! That's the world that Hank wants! A world where we can live freely! He only ever has _our_ best interests in his mind and it's easy to see that he cares about us a great deal. Come on don't any of you agree with me?"

"…"

"…."

"…"

"…..I…..I agree with you!" Flint said.

"Flint!" I said, with a smile on my face as Flint walked over to side with Gabriel.

"Gabriel's right. When I first met Hank, I absolutely hated him! I thought he was just another inexperienced trainer…but since Hank and I left New Bark Town, not only have I grown stronger thanks to him, but I've also learned how to work in a team and how to accept ideas and opinions other than my own! And while I may not be happy that's he's already tried and failed at this challenge, I'm still going to stand by him and fight until the _very _end. Which, mark my words, will be a happy one! I'll make sure of it!"

"I agree too." Bo said as he fluttered over. "I may have only just met Hank, but already he's gotten me to evolve not once, but twice! I owe him my sincerest thanks, and can't think of any way better than to help him realize our ideal region.

"I…I guess I agree too…" Liteweight said. "You have quite the way with words kid." He said to Gabriel. "I'll help the boss too. He needs to have _someone_ for advice I guess." The Skiploom said.

"Alright," I said laughing at Liteweight's last comment. "It looks like we're all in agreement here!"

"Well, not everyone." Flint said. I looked at him quizzically.

"Talon's yet to reach a conclusion." Liteweight said, looking at the Pidgeotto.

"Oh, is that all?" I asked. "No need to worry about Talon, he was all in the whole time! Weren't you Talon?"

"Of course I was!" The bird said as he flew up and nestled on my head. "I didn't fly over here from Kanto for nothing you know!"

"Thank you Gabriel." I said turning.

"Anytime!" Gabriel said, and just as we were about to enter Ekruteak City, Gabriel turned a bright white light.

*Gabriel evolved into Togetic*

You better watch out Mewtwo. We're not quite done fighting yet!

*Burned Tower*

"Suicune, Suicune!" Entei said as he woke Suicune up. "Do sense him? He's here! They're finally here!"

"Yes…" Suicune said. "Finally, Let us finally meet, Hank Coro!"

**The death count is now double what it once was at a larger than life 2. Fun fact: When Sunnyside died, Gabriel did evolve after that same battle, which really took away the pain...I also never wanted to give up on this run through, because I was finally getting to the more colorful and in depth parts of the game.**


End file.
